


The Piercer and The Princess

by Whisperedwords214



Category: Adventure Time
Genre: Adult Content, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Human, Awkward Sexual Situations, Canon Lesbian Relationship, Crushes, Erotica, Eventual Feelings, Eventual Relationships, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, Falling In Love, Fondling, Hook-Up, Lesbian Sex, Love Confessions, Lust at First Sight, M/M, Nipple Piercings, Piercings, Relationship Advice, Sex, Sexual Tension, Sweet/Hot, Tribadism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:20:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27657436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whisperedwords214/pseuds/Whisperedwords214
Summary: Marceline Abadeer is a professional piercer, one that adores her job and adores providing people their day dreams of getting something particularly wild or even just piercing the length of their ear but it is all worth it by the bright smile afterwards. She adores the sterile scent of the tattoo shop, the small apartment like feel to the place and she finds a satisfaction at the end of each day that carries into an excitement for the next morning when she returns. It's not often someone finds a job they adore but Marceline is one of them that had found not only her dream job but one that had her satisfied, happy even, each time she showed up there. That is, of course, until Marceline happens to meet a particularly intriguing girl in the shop's main room with a gaze that was ever restless and found she struck a chord with Marceline in a way that had her hook, line, sinker. Lust was a wild thing but if it's a feeling mutually returned then where could the problem lay with giving in once or twice?
Relationships: Princess Bubblegum/Marceline
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> So, this idea kind of came to me last night and I decided to put it out there! I was thinking, thinking, thinking of a girl x girl story to right (surprisingly, there's only so MUCH yaoi a girl can write 😳) but then this idea came to me last night while I was thinking about it and I just liked the idea of it! So I'm hoping to make this a story worth reading before I go back to finish up my other adventure time fictions before making more but this idea just would not be shaken off so I decided to sit down and write it out! In this story, I read a long time ago, that Princess Bubblegum was "confirmed for green eyes" and I love using it but now that Marceline has them I think for this story I'm going to use the generic blue eyes color that most people use with Princess Bubblegum! So I hope that this is worth the reading pleasure of! So I hope you all read on and enjoy! 😃

The sun was peeking over the horizon bringing with it a hesitant pale yellow light that shown eagerly across the world with its pale coloring, the pinks spreading across the sky stunning in their vibrance and the light spilled across floors, painted walls and shone on the wilting flowers to give them a chance for sustenance. It was the pale walls, the checkered blue floors of Marceline Abadeer's apartment that glowed weakly in this pale morning light just enough to make the tiles glisten under the weak rays of the sun and the light touched the walls staining them a pale buttery yellow for the time being. The light did it's best to spread to the corners of the apartment to light it up with it's pale, weak glow yet it could not stretch across Marceline's floors nor her walls due the rather effective blackout curtains purchased the night before and they were working beautifully to keep the muted rising sun rays out of her room. There was clothes scattered across the floor, hanging precariously from hangers and peeking out of drawers on the dresser pressed against the wall directly across from her bed, the TV perched on top of it with it's murmuring words spilling into the quiet room. There was a mess of bracelets, papers, sticky notes and lord knows what else across the top of the dresser that often times drifted to her equally messy floor which would be any moment now for a good breeze would be all it takes to get it to flutter off. Her closet door was cracked halfway open revealing the clothes clinging to their hangers while most had dropped down to her messy stack of shoes sitting beneath the clothing and it was her bed that could perhaps be viewed as the messiest thing. 

The sheets were kissing the floor from the restless movements of the wiggling legs, the pillows slanting over one another due to her awkward head movements as she tossed and turned with pent up energy gathering in her muscles already as if they hadn't received the memo that it was an ungodly time to wake up. The thinner blanket was wrapped around Marceline's body like a gauzy wrap that just barely kept her protected from the chill of the winter air that was clawing at her windows, the heat did it's beat to combat the frigid air from outside already and her head was tipped backwards, far enough that she felt that there would be a crick in it which just wouldn't do. Her hair was bunched underneath her shoulder, pinned underneath her neck, which had her scalp aching with a low throbbing that was easy to doze off around without thinking too much on it and when she rolled over finally she grumbled when the sheets moved with her revealing just how easy it was for them to reveal her entire back side. The chilled air kissed the back of her legs eagerly, swirling as if greedily trying to cool the warmth she'd gathered beneath the thin blanket somehow and aimed at the backs of her shoulders that the tank top revealed which prompted her to yank at the blanket until she was covered once again but the damage was done. She had light trembles rolling down her legs, goosebumps spreading in rapid waves raising along her arms and legs from the chilled air that she knew her consciousness would come full swing if she reached for the thick tranquility that was her comforter but the chill was seeping eagerly underneath her blanket. She _could_ just get up to turn the air conditioning off but that would involve stumbling out of her bed, waking up then taking Schwabl for a walk seeing as he would no doubt be eager for it about this time when the sun would strengthen enough for him to jump off of his plush doggie bed. 

Peeling her eyelids apart Marceline twisted her head just enough to peer at the alarm clock positioned to her left, which was no behind her, and she groaned at the glowing scarlet numbers that screeched at her like exclamation points as she smothered half of her face into the bedsheets. She had a handful of moments left to just lounge about in bed so did it matter if she was awake for it? She jerked up on her right arm which dug into the bed, the springs bouncing underneath her movement as she reached for her thick comforter to drag it off of it's dangling position where it kissed the floor so obviously that she groaned as she yanked at the sheet until it was covering her with a warmth that she snuggled down into. Just a few minutes more is what she'd lay here underneath the warmth for before she walked out to find an excitable Schwabl waiting for her no doubt and then she'd take him out for his walk around the block, get back to the apartment to jump in the shower to wake herself up. Well, a walk _would_ wake her up but the shower would help with bringing her to a fuller consciousness like the coffee she would no doubt grab from the shop closest to her building either before or after she'd made her way around the block which would make that coffee her little "razzle dazzle" as Oliver liked to put it. She shifted with a quiet grunt as she stretched her legs out slightly pressing against the pocket she'd wriggled over her feet to keep them from getting cold, her muscles trembled with the movement that she slumped into the bed with a sense of warmth radiating through her limbs. There was a begrudging groan building in her throat, curling her lips into a grimace at the thought climbing out of her warm solitude but she knew that in a matter of moments that Schwabl would be clawing at the door to her bedroom and that Mortus was probably waiting outside the front door after stalking the inhabitants of the buildings others cats for the night. 

Her lashes felt heavy to keep open, her eyes itching with the urge to just get a few more itty bitty minutes of sleep when her phone began chiming cheerfully on the bedside table making her groan when to the left of her the alarm began screeching it's static sounds into the room making her roll onto her back dragging the blankets with her movements as she stared up at the white expanse of her ceiling. She rubbed at her eye, grinding her fingers against it to relieve it of the itch there as she yawned making her jaw pop lightly under the movement, her skin breaking out in goosebumps at the thought of just leaving her thick blanket behind and she adjusted her hips making the bed bounce underneath her weight when she did so with quiet squeaks from the springs. Winter was horribly inconvenient for Marceline who really couldn't stand anything cold, whether it was the rain that fell during this month or the snow that gathered up the way it did but she absolutely found that anything she wanted to do was inhibited by the weather which would either make or break her day depending on what the sky decided to give her. Another yawn slipped out of her as she stretched her arms above her head aching her chest upwards as a sharp yet long breath rushed out through her nose while she released a sound low in her throat before slumping into the bed holding the blankets up underneath her chin as her alarms continued to blare with their equally clashing music coming out of them that it didn't take long for her teeth to gnash together. She rolled to her left wriggling her right arm out to slam it on the top of her alarm clock cutting off it's demonic screeching then rolled to her right to grab her cellphone to put an end to the bubbly music pouring out of the tinny speaker and scowled at the text waiting for her underneath the clock on her screen making her move a hand up to get the locks of hair out of her face. 

It took her one look at the owner of the text, especially an owner who had to be insane to be up at this ungodly time, when she groaned at the sight of the name beaming up at her brilliantly which prompted her to turn the screen off then drop the phone onto her chest then lifted her hands to her face rubbing at her eyes fiercely with the pads of her fingers this time round. Of course it was Ash. The subject of the guy was something she didn't want to think about just like she didn't want to think about the walk she would be taking Schwabl on the moment she got out of her bed for the dog would no doubt be waking any moment now with the rising sun and the thought of dealing with a sometimes-boyfriend was something that had an ache spreading through her temples like the precursor to a headache that would swoop in by the afternoon no doubt but the answer was clearer than crystal. She'd much rather walk Schwabl all over this city, let him pee on every tree he could set his little eyes on rather than deal with Ash so early in the morning which is what had her rolling onto her side allowing her phone to bounce down onto the bed with a muted thump as she hugged the blankets to her shoulder now as she yawned for a third time then looked at the back of her phone case unenthusiastically. She could ignore Ash all day long if she wanted too but it would be truly inevitable when she saw him down at shop when he came in to take over for the night shift in her place which meant she could talk to him now or she would have to deal with his hurt face when he talked to her about how she had ignored him all day and possibly even guilt her into apologizing for ignoring him all day but goddamn couldn't she do _one thing_ without him being right there? Was it so wrong for her to want one day for herself? 

Since she hooked up with Ash only to then establish a relationship with him back in high school she had agreed to date him on the only condition that he let her have some breathing room for even back then he had a problem with being all over her all the time, texting her whenever he could and expecting her to answer phone calls at certain times during the day which hadn't changed one bit since they graduated. That's what led to their unstable on-again off-again relationship with one another but half the time it was a fight over something small like her not calling him back when she promised only to find it had slipped her mind because she had other things she needed to get done or if she had been completely caught up at work with an appointment that required her attention more than him. It was in these instances that Marceline was the one to throw her hands up, often screaming at him that she didn't understand _why_ they were together and that she wanted a break that would last a total of two weeks after he wore her down again with those voicemails of sobbing begs for her it take him back, that he loved her etc etc. It was quite annoying each time yet she kept giving it all another chance when it had proved itself a failure each and every single time they decided to call an end to the break but dammit how can _anyone_ deal with an ex calling them back to back to back? Sure, they must be stronger than Marceline but she had always believed she had a will of steel yet it seemed that Ash had chipped away at it after the past nine years but to be fair she had never found anyone other than Ash that she was physically attracted too and even if she _did_ look for someone else they never held her hopes for long as they all dropped faster than they started but it had always been because of mixed messages when it came to her and the subject of Ash. She wouldn't say he ruined things but she wasn't also not going to lay there and _not_ say it. 

Then again it was her fault since she continued letting him "try to work things out" as he said repeatedly so she wasn't doing any favors when it came to that but goddammit what was she going to _do?_ Just continue with this rather toxic cycle of being smothered every hour of the day and let him continue being happy while he believed they were just working through a rough patch? Throwing the blankets off of her she rolled to the edge of the bed swinging her legs over the side of the bed, her toes brushing the carpet before she forced herself to a standing position letting out the millionth yawn this morning as she threw her arms up above her chest while she shivered from the temperature change and she snatched her phone off the bed to shove into her sweat pants pocket where it thumped against her thigh solidly. Maybe she was a horrible person but she _really_ didn't want to answer Ash right now as a fight was inevitably brewing yet she knew this fight would be her initiating it but it would be over the same thing on wanting some space in the relationship and she ground the heel of her hand against her forehead roughly as she flicked at the long messy locks of black hair dropping over her shoulders eagerly. She straightened her head with a shake that she tried to use in an effort to shake the thoughts out of her head then began her walk across the floor to her bedroom door where she flipped the lock tugging the door open stepping out into the brilliantly lit little hallway that would lead her out into the small living room that would be connected to the kitchen which is where Schwabl was either eating or laying in his bed still. Either way she knew he'd be jumping up in a matter of- She surprised herself by laughing suddenly at the eager clicking of nails on the tiled floor of the kitchen rushing towards her as she was charged at by a small white mass of curls as Schwabl circled her legs excited as he yipped up at her. 

"Mornin' Schwabl." She giggled around the words as he pressed his tiny paws against her calf to stand halfway up, his tail wagging back and forth so aggressively that his little body trembled with the movements making her laugh again as she bent down to scoop the small dog up into her arms where he promptly began soaking her cheek with his tongue as he all but vibrated in her arms with joy. She walked into the living room making a Beeline right for the front door, flipping the locks in record time as the dog's tongue traveled over her eye making her close it with a little click of her tongue for reproach at the sudden brevity of the little dog in her arms but it was nothing compared to the disdainful green eyes glowing up at her as Mortus slunk into the house. "And mornin' to you too, Mortus." The cat merely blinked his large eyes up at her before meowing at her in his shrill voice that had her setting Schwabl down only for the little dog to dance around her legs eagerly once again, nearly knocking into the cat who turned what looked to be a scowl to the dog as he trotted quickly to the kitchen before Schwabl could even think about greeting his favorite feline partner in crime. Animals were ten times better to interact with than on-again off-again boyfriends, now weren't they? The small poodle kept weaving between her legs with those vibrating tail wiggles of his as she danced around the attempts to get between her legs each time as Mortus began complaining in the kitchen in his high strung manner until Marceline sighed as she entered the kitchen teh clicked her tongue comfortingly at the dark mass of cat as she reached down scratching the top of his head. "Chill, dude, you're getting fed! Just give me a minute, alright?" 

The grumpy look Mortus adopted was beautiful when she had finished talking that it nearly sent her into giggles yet again as she bent down picking up the cat bowl which she put a fresh scoop of cat food into, a single cup full then did the same for Schwabl who got one and a half scoops then sat the bowls down. She always had to do their food bowls at the same time given by pure experience after seeing Schwabl devour Mortus' s food before he could even sniff it out which then prompted feeding times to be at the same time and she sighed out as the animals began crunching on their food providing a rather nice background sound as she reached into the cabinet framing the right side of her sink to grab a bowl, tugged openj the right hand drawer to grab a spoon. She'd eat her bowl of cereal, get ready to get Schwabl leashed up for his walk while Mortus would no doubt enjoy having run of the place while they were gone and as much as she truly _didn't_ want to go outside into the cold mess waiting for her she knew it was vastly preferred than calling or texting Ash back so early in the morning yet she knew the longer it took her to get back to him the more likely there'd be a fight between them . Grabbing her bowl of Captain Crunch she poured the squares into her bowl, grabbed her gallon of milk pouring it into the bowl then plopping it down onto the table while she slid into her seat picking her spoon up, giving it a light little spin that nearly fumbled in her fingers until she pinched it tightly as she scooped her first mouthful up. It was quiet in her little kitchen as she crunched on her cereal, her pets crunching on their own food that was quickly dwindling and she cupped her cheek as she ate and dug her elbow into the table groaning when her phone gave a weak tentative rumble against her thigh making her the heel of her hand find her forehead roughly. 

The pain radiated above her eyebrows yet it was a welcomed pain as she stared down at her cereal while working her jaw quickly, leaned back in her seat to dig her phone out of her pocket feeling a stab of irritation after turning her screen on to see the new text blinking up at her from Ash and the urge to scream at him to give her some goddamn space was so strong that fingers curled along the edges of her phone fiercely. Marceline rarely let herself get angry with the guy but dammit it was six in the morning! What was a dude doing up at six in the morning, texting at this much too early time and not doing this early in the morning? Did people _really_ wake up this early to pester people or something? Sure she set her alarms earlier than normal today but that was only because she was jammed pack with appointments staring around nine-thirty which meant that she had to get on the horse earlier than she would have liked but she had shit to do today and she had _told_ Ash that she had shit she was doing so what did he expect her to say when he was asking to spend time with her today? She knew the last thing she wanted was to have him breathing down her neck as she pierced people after the last time he tried to do it, which ended in one of their nastier fights, but she had honestly thought people would get the hint to leave people alone when they were trying to WORK only Ash didn't pick up that hint in the slightest bit and often criticising her tactics of distraction for those she pierced. It was during nasty fights like the kind that was inspired after that day that had her wondering just where her life was going, what she was going to do with herself and how she was going to continue her life when it was becoming more complicated than those shitty TLC drama shows that she despised watching with Ash at night after he had spent an hour after dinner coaxing her into it. 

She was a twenty four year old body piercer who worked down at the only tattoo shop in the city with a dysfunctional relationship that was going nowhere, a relationship she was growing so dissatisfied with that she wasn't sure if she could even begin to sit down and have a conversation with Ash that didn't end with sex of some kind. It was a horrible relationship with no communication between them what with her assuming what he wanted and him claiming he knew Marceline better than he knew himself which lead to a lopsided agreement not to talk about the unpleasantness following their nastier fights along with the agreement never to hit below the belt with their insecurities. She never imagined what life without him would be like but she wanted more than anything to step outside of her relationship for someone, _anyone_ who could give her something better than this half dead heavily loaded relationship that she was backpacking here lately which was drowning her more than supporting her. She knew she could leave, call a quits for permanent this time but she kept going back again and again to Ash no matter how firm she tried to be with her own feelings along with his own but the thought of him actually listening to her scared the hell out of her even if she knew that they would both be better off away from one another. She knew she was clinging to this half dead relationship out of pure comfort of how she'd been spending the nine years they shared together but wouldn't it be healthier to let go? Sure, she spent years into this relationship but if it was dying slowly then why didn't she cut the strings? Let him go? She knew it was due to this unspoken fear that if Ash suddenly didn't want her, left her like she wanted to leave him, it would destroy her in the way she knew it would hurt him and it left her with a hesitance to hurt someone like that but what other option was there? Continue this relationship until they hated each other? 

She was surprised she could swallow the mouthful of cereal around the knot forming in her throat as she poked at her cereal, unwilling to waste it yet unable to force another mouthful down when Schwabl's wet nose prodded her exposed ankle then stared up at her with those big dark eyes that conveyed curiosity as his head cocked to the side only for his little teeth to poke out in a happy dog smile that always warmed her heart. Her life didn't _completely_ revolve around Mortus and Schwabl but she knew that if she didn't have those cute little guys in her life that she'd fall right down into the pit waiting for her and she'd fall into self pity so disgusting that she'd be insufferable to be around but it was the purrs Mortus gave her when he decided to stay into the apartment, taking over her pillow as his heart purrs vibrated against the side of her face and it was the warmth of Schwabl crawling onto her bed that kept her afloat somehow. She didn't want to say they were her children but dammit they sure as hell felt like it with the love that mushroomed each day for them, not that there was anything _wrong_ with loving your animals like they were children she just didn't want to be so dramatic as to say she'd be depressed without them. She put her spoon down to bend to the side, her phone clattering to the table, then reaching her fingers out to scratch the top of Schwabl's head making that little tail wiggle fiercely as he yipped at her in his high little voice making her smile as she decided to forgo the cereal for the time being as she could always grab something for lunch on her break at work and she stood up making the dog run right for the front door with a clicking of nails on the floor that nearly slipped him up which had Marceline laughing. 

She pushed her chair in, disposed the rapidly soaked cereal away then put her bowl into the sink before bending down to give Mortus a chin scratch that had him purring softly at her then stroking down the length of his spine making his but hitch upwards as his tail lazily swayed side to side as she straightened up making her way out of the small kitchen. Schwabl was wagging his tail so fiercely his little body seemed to vibrate as she walked across the living room to grab his leash which hung on the wall, the fake rhinestones on the length glimmering in the rising sunlight that painted the room in a brilliant golden light that cast shadows of the furniture onto the walls and floor in slants or stretched versions of themselves. She plucked the leash off the wall making Schwabl bark excitedly now as he spun in a rapid series of little circles before staring up at Marceline with excitement in those big dark eyes of his that she laughed at his enthusiasm so early in the morning that she honestly felt a stab of pity for dropping him off with her mother during her shift at the shop but she knew he'd be absolutely overjoyed when she went to pick him up. She shoved the leash in her pocket in order for her to cram her feet in her snow boots, to shrug her heavy coat on then slid her phone into her right coat pocket as it gave another weak vibration against her stomach now but she pulled the leash out of her pocket again to straighten out then clip onto Schwabl's collar. She turned to the little plastic totes that held the bags she would need, shoving handfuls into her pocket even if she knew so many weren't going to be needed she always grabbed a ridiculous amount before leaving the house then grabbed the house keys from her keybowl resting on top of these plastic totes then sighed out. 

She quickly crooned out a goodbye to Mortus who merely replied by shaking his fur out making his bell and tags ring together joyfully as he jumped onto the couch spinning in a lazy circle which was his own goodbye to both Marceline along with Schwabl who was already straining against his leash lightly to get out of the building into the fresh air that would be waiting for the little guy. She shut the door behind her, locking it then walking down the hallway with Schwabl trotting ahead of her at the proper length of his leash yet that light tugging persisted ever few steps but it was her phone vibrating in her pocket that had her good mood dipping every so slightly like the shaky smile on her lips when her phone began vibrating with a call. Goddammit. She swished her leash over to her left hand, grabbed her phone feeling the stabbing guilt ripping through her stomach right up to her chest as she slid her thumb across the screen of her phone and putting it immediately ot speaker as she approached the elevator with Schwabl giving an very enthusiastic bark at the sleek doors as she pressed the button. "Why the actual hell are you spamming so early in the morning, Ash? Is there something wrong? Or are you finally going off the deep end?" A weak attempt at a joke, one she wasn't proud of but as Schwabl sat down next to her boot panting happily she couldn't help feeling those ripping sensations of guilt spearing right through her and she adjusted the phone nervously as she rocked her left heel lightly. 

"Haha, very funny, Marce. I just wanted to say good morning if you had bothered to even look at the texts I sent or reply to them which would have taken you, what, two seconds out of your very obviously busy morning?" There it was. Her jaw shifted then clenched tightly at the sarcastic tone Ash's voice carried through the phone, a tone that had caused one too many fights in the past but this time it was absolutely ridiculous for him to use the tone even if she hadn't replied to him right away because she _knew_ it wasn't important and it wasn't! How was saying good morning first thing in the morning important? "Look, I'd just appreciate it if you tried to text me back is all when I want to check in with you. Does it make me a bad boyfriend to want to know you're okay? Or that I just want to talk to you?" How softly persuasive he could be with his voice which is absolutely something he used to his advantage whether it was haggling with a clerk at the store, coaxing a stranger on the street or even talking to Schwabl when he came over to the apartment in a rather good mood and he knew that it always managed to melt the part of Marceline that she had tried locking down deep in her chest after all this time. She hated how sweet he could sound when he really wanted too for it always coaxed out the softer reactions within her, made her regret those moments when he would become overbearing enough to make her want to leave him altogether and it was just the worst tactic he could ever pull against her when he was too clingy. "So how about you tell me what you're up too instead?" 

No matter how sweet he sounded, however, the words bubbled on her tongue just like every other time; Let's take a break. Four words, so easily said yet her lips clamped tight to one another in an effort to keep the words at bay as she stared at her tired distorted reflection in the elevator doors when her name sounded over the line compelling her to answer him. "Ah, I'm taking Schwabl for a walk like any other morning. Mortus has free run of the apartment which I'm sure he's thrilled over." Why prolong the inevitable? Why couldn't she just say what was _really_ bothering her? They were boyfriend and girlfriend, a titled thing that used to be so important to her but now it felt more like a ball and chain being wrapped around her ankle threatening to drag her down if she continued rattling the thoughts lurking around in her head a moment longer yet these thoughts stung her like bees, vicious and repetitive. Well, then they couldn't be bees, they had to be wasps if they stung repeatedly, right? "So are you still coming over after I get off work? I was thinking of getting Taco Bell or KFC on my way home tonight so if you're just going to be here-" She shrugged cutting off her sentence but the implication for hi mto fill it was right there, like it was some kind of ad libbed story but the silence crackled over the line making her blink as the elevator doors slid open with a delicate ding allowing her and Schwabl to climb into the small space as her fingers of her free hand found the smooth buttons. "You _are_ coming over still, right? I thought you were the one hyping up this dinner for some reason, so are you suddenly backing out?" 

"No! I'll be there! I just-I have to cancel some plans of mine because I kind of overlapped our dinner with something else so I'm going to have to move things around with my friend is all." He sounded stiff, awkward like the topic of this unnamed friend was an inaccessible topic that he would not budge on nor would he allow her to pester him about but she pinched her lips together at the tone tracing his words subtly making her want to gnash her teeth together but she fought the urge to do so. So he hypes up dinner for _two weeks_ then says he had overlapped this important dinner with something else? Marceline hardly got angry when dates were canceled with Ash, after all any space was good space for her to relax after work, but this? This was kind of...rude, wasn't it? For him to hype something up then make it seem like it were something he spaced or forgot about after weeks of babbling about it? Was that just a her-thing? A pet-peeve she hadn't known she'd had until now? Jesus Christ, the last thing she needed was _another_ one of those things. "Anyways KFC sounds good, you know what I like to get from there right?" She grunted her response as an affirmation that she hoped he picked up on but when he spoke again his voice was all sunshines and rainbows it would seem. "Cool! I'll let you go so I can figure some stuff out, move that thing I had planned with my friend and I'll call you back! Love you, Marce!" 

He hung up faster than she ever had before making her ever so relieved that she didn't need to choke out her own "love you!" in that syrupy way she had picked up over the years of dating Ash that she found it harder and harder to chokoe the two words out to her boyfriend which was indeed sad as this was something she _should_ be able to say without feeling guilty. She wasn't lying when she loved him only that she had found the truth behind their relationship was dwindling like a steadily fading glowing ember at the bottom of a fire and he wasn't helping anything by pulling shit like this yet she knew she only had to keep her cool until she could get back from her walk with Schwabl that she would be able to view the situation with a clear head. She just needed to walk away from the situation that wasn't even truly a situation just yet which is when the relief flooded through her system as the elevator slid down to the lobby, jolting gently as it stopped on the ground floor of the building and the gentle chime it had made the sound as it had upstairs which allowed her to rush out into the lobby with Schwabl running at her side happily as she made her way to the front doors, bracing her muscles tightly at the impact. It had her feeling like a swimmer bracing themselves before diving face first into the cold slap of water, her body stiffening as she slid her phone into her pocket then stretched a hand outwards to push the door open only to clench her jaw tightly at the cold air slapping at her face as she stepped out onto the walkway with Schwabl yelping gently at the cold temperature no doubt. Her hair swirled around her throat and face wildly with the wind tugging at the long locks of her messy hair, the wind howling in her ear nipping at the cartilage of her ear making it tingle gentle with the cold whipping at the side of her face ruthlessly as she began making her way to the sidewalk with a plume of gray leaving her lips. 

She adjusted her grip on the leash giving Schwabl a little more freedom to rush forward by a few steps, his tail wagging so viciously that Marceline marveled at his ability to walk with his tail wagging so powerfully making her smile at the sight of the white little boy trotting happily making his tags jingle wildly. She loved their morning routine like Schwabl did only her reluctance with it was the increasingly frigid air of the winter mornings gripping, yanking and sucking the breath out of her chest with the frigid whips it delivered to her exposed throat and her ears until the skin tingles in response to the vicious wind numbing her skin with it's cold feel. She enjoyed walking around the block with Schwabl yipping up at her, always looking behind him to make sure she was still walking at her slow speed behind him before trotting joyfully without missing a beat and she enjoyed stopping at the coffee shop with their cute baristas who all knew Marceline by name, even her voice along with their love for Schwabl when he entered the shop with him trotting by her ankles. The only hindrance was this damn cold wind yanking at her so fervently that it didn't take longer than walking the length of half a sidewalk, so a minute or so, to get Marceline shivering from the frigid air trying to find a way underneath her coat until it was swirling angrily at her hair as if displeased she had dared bundle up in some manner of way while Schwabl happily hiked his leg up to pee on the first bush they walked past which didn't take long surprisingly, much sooner than she expected. She was shaking, grabbing the leash with her achingly cold fingers with the irrational fear that her numb fingers might just drop the rough leash which kept her vigilant on squeezing it gently in sporadic bursts as Schwabl trotted happily down the sidewalk beside her with jingles from his tags hitting one another. 

She would have been happier if it was warmer like back in fall, if the trees had their leaves clinging to the trees in vain with their brilliant colors and had the sun provided much more warmth than it was giving now yet it was the dark clouds circling the shimmering sun as it rose in the sky creating dark shadows on the grey clouds surrounding the burning light as if eager to swarm over the rays and she frowned at the thought of the first snow moving into the city like the news had predicted all week long. She wasn't a fan on snow but if anything it created a rather beautiful look to the city as the snow tried in vain to covered the landscape and buildings of the city the best it could wit that first dusting of snow yet as beautiful as it was she just didn't like the thought of walking to work to home in the snow that would surely be piling up in a matter of time. Sighing out she watched another plume of her breath rush out towards the sky in a cloud of silver as Schwabl trotted paces in front of her, his happily jingling tags hitting one another and a harsh shake of his coat had her smiling at the little poodle who looked over his shoulder finally to see if she was keeping up with him and when he did see that she was quite literally paces behind he barked an affirmation at her. She laughed lightly at the sound as the poodle trotted paces in front of her, his little tail bobbing happily from side to side with the rest of his little paws that hit the ground with such energy that it seemed like he was bobbing faster than anything and she enjoyed the sight of her little poodle bobbing down the sidewalk with a joy that was infectious to anyone viewing it she knew it. When it came right down too it Schwabl never failed to make her feel better, to give her a stress relief that she hadn't known she needed and filled her with such joy that the thoughts of her unhappy relationship seemed manageable for just a moment as she stared at her bobbing poodle. 

It may be dramatic to pin such happiness, such joy onto a little dog but dammit she adored them with every ounce of her heart and they made her happier than a living human could ever hope to make her be which was a feat that not even Ash had accomplished in a _long_ time. They were coming up to the corner of the street that would lead them onto main street, the alk from her apartment building to this corner being a mere ten minutes down the sidewalk and it would take a total of twenty five minutes sometimes half an hour just to get around the block considering her coffee break -and Schwabl's occasional pup-cup from the barista- so the second half of the walk often lead her home to an anxious Mortus ready to flee the coop to skulk around the apartment building the best he could with the limited entry ways. She turned the corner with Schwabl testing the length provided by Marceline's leash yet he looked over at her when she refused to give him more than a four steps ahead of her so he contented himself to trotting joyfully in front of her at a safe distance that kept her calm at the proximity and when her lips parted this time a yawn flew past them instead of the sigh that had been originally building on her lips as she used her free hand to rub at her eye. As happy as this little walk was making her, however, the issue with Ash coming over for dinner tonight was continuing to tug at her guiltily for she knew the first words she was going to say the moment they finished their meals and she hated the thought of hurting him with yet another "break" as he often referred to it but she was just pushing off the inevitable at this point yet there was something different to this break she wanted to ask him for. Was it finally some part of her stepping in to take care of the mess she always created due to the breaks they took? Or was it just the fact that she'd had years to evaluate their relationship? 

She could never scrounge the words "let's take a break" in the same manner that she always screamed for breaks away from his clingy, guilt inducing affection that he poured over her head like water from a bath and there was the little fact that he was always trying to get her to do things that very clearly went against her comfort boundaries as she had stated from the very beginning. Sighing out Marceline watched Schwabl stopping to sniff at the frozen items of the landscape of main street whenever he could whether it was a telephone pole or it was the metal poles of parking meters but he had yet to hike his leg up or pop a squat for a second so she considered herself lucky as she let her gaze drift among the street where the people were becoming denser on this street much like the cars as people rushed to their workplaces. Marceline just couldn't wait to grab a hot coffee, to get Schwabl his favored cream treat of the morning then get home where she could lounge on the couch for an hour or two before she had to hop in the shower, drop Schwabl off with her mother and get to work for the day which meant she can, will and has to let go of the irritation bubbling through her veins like a mild humming if she wanted to enjoy going to work like she did every day before this situation cropped up. At the very least Schwabl seemed absolutely delighted to be outside despite the cold air continuing to either whip Marceline's hair into her face or yank it behind her whipping it around wildly in an attempt to further tangle it and it seemed like the cold didn't even begin to affect the poodle who was trotting along like it was a hot summer's day. She squeezed her leash gently making the door look towards her curiously, like he had felt her tightened fingers through the leash, and she smiled at his adorably sweet little face when he began barking with what had to be excitement when the familiar sign stood before them for the coffee shop. 

It was one of those yellow folded signs, kind of like a larger wet floor sign, but on this sign it proudly displayed new additions to their menu, the time updates and she knew if she were to look on the other side that it would be displaying that they were once again hiring again which seemed to be an occurrence every handful of months which surprised her because each time she went into this shop she saw the same faces each time. It was only stopping in front of this shop that Schwabl was barking cheerfully, as if excited by the thought of getting his little pup-cup and she just as excited to get something hot to sip on during the second half of the block yet when her hand went to her pocket the immediate drop in her stomach linked so painfully with the wide eyes staring up at her from Schwabl that she wanted to wail out. Her wallet was most certainly _not_ in her pocket, why she thought she grabbed it she had no clue, for her mind was giving the very clear picture of her wallet sitting on the bedside table right next to her phone, the studs gleaming in the low lighting somehow and was absolutely still there for it sure as hell wasn't in her pocket for the only thing IN her pocket was her cell phone. Schwabl was whining pitifully as Marceline's head hung forward with a low groan slipping out of her, her hands coming up to cover her face as if it would hide the shame she felt swirling through her chest as Schwabl's eager whimpers rang out from down near her ankles and the last thing she wanted was to make her pup sad but she couldn't _get_ their usual if she didn't have her damn wallet. She was normally so vigilant about carrying her phone, house keys and wallet with her but this morning Ash had dwarfed her thoughts so not much else really squeezed into her head which shouldn't have happened but her stupid choice to be irritated was what made her blank out on grabbing her wallet or even assuming that she had it to begin with. What else could she do?

She was an idiot, wasn't she? She began walking again only she kept her gaze on the ground as Schwabl whimpered wildly in confusion, no doubt, as he wondered just why she wasn't going into the shop like every other time they had come this way and with a mumbled apology she resumed her walking pace with Schwabl trotting down near her ankles staring up at her with his large dark eyes. She felt horrible for not being able to truly go through with their morning walk routine for the poodle who looked forward to this pit stop each morning but he seemed to accept they were continuing their walk by hiking his leg up on the closest tree plot to the coffee shop and she let out a breath that plumed to the increasingly heavy looking sky as the sunlight struggled now to shine through the clouds greedily moving over. She knew that if Oliver were here he'd be scolding her for being such a hot head who was so eager to run away from her own problems that she forgot her wallet like a ditz, an affectionate eye roll from her employer and he would no doubt poke fun at her until she would threaten to use him like a pin cushion, the same banter she'd get the moment she got to work. She just wished she had this banter to walk with her the rest of the walk but after a happy barking from Schwabl to the dog across the street she had to count herself lucky that she had the little poodle who was helping her regardless on if he knew it or not and she had to admit that she was absolutely eager to get to work. It was a safe bubble that called to her, a place she'd live if she could and she knew Oliver would be calling her closer to her time to start her shift but until then she would just have to go about her morning and pray to god Ash didn't push her to her very limits this morning for the first thought a person typically had often times depicted just what type of day they would have so if that was true then she knew she'd be having a rough time with Ash today, she just knew it. 


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I want to thank you all for the 297 hits! 1 I really appreciate it! I'm going to do my best to make sure this story is worth the read, not too fast but not too slow either and I'm just going to do my best to update as often as I absolutely can! I hope you guys enjoy the story from here on out and I'm already looking up the proper information I'll need going ahead with the sexual parts of this story so I can plan in advance and make it feel more accurate! Even now I'm going to be doing the absolute to be as accurate as I can get!

The shop, Rose's Talents, was a place that most would wrinkle their nose upon passing just by the inside view of the hundreds of sketches adorning the walls of tattoo samples someone could choose to get or even showing off the skills of the four tattoo artists there who were all very proud of their work and she wanted nothing more than happy to show off their personal touches. The outside of the shop was no different than any other building on the main street of a city or town, it fit snugly between an old second hand bookstore and squished next to what _used_ to be a thrift shop that had since gone out of building, the buildings wide given their placing on the street but with the glowing pink words "Come in! Open!" cheerfully gave it a feminine little touch. The inside of the shop was set up more like a doctors office it felt save for the artwork dancing on one wall to show off the final pieces of artwork, two couches squeezed along the walls of the waiting room where they were currently fixing an aquarium for people to gaze upon while they waited for their appointment time, the rugs a deep navy blue while the walls were a black that flattered the artwork and little pictures adorning the walls. The front desk looked just like something you would see in an office space, looking more like a cubicle with how neat it was with the fax machine sitting on a separate table, the desk spick and span with a laptop sitting in front of the secretary when she was there and it looked like a quaint little spot in the "intimidating" atmosphere of the shop. Not that Marceline thought it to be intimidating in the slightest bit, it honestly felt like an apartment the moment she stepped in. It felt comfortable. The scent of the antiseptics they used to remove the excess ink of tattoos hung in the air like a perfume, not unpleasant to her at least, for it can definitely grow on a person after enough exposure. 

Oliver Benson, the owner of the shop, was the type of man that was rather calm when approached with even the most foulest of moods which was surprising considering the handful of angry mother's who had marched through the front door shrieking about their child getting pierced in his establishment, something Marceline knew she would lose her head over but Oliver always managed to keep the women from going throuhg on their threats by two large holes in their agenda. One, their children were all of legal age and have the money. Two, it was their body and they did as they pleased, he was only a bystander for their decisions and he wasn't about to shoo them out of his shop just because it made their "mommy's upset" with him word for word it was really something he had to a particularly upset mother at one point. He never raised his voice, he never cursed them out nor displayed an ounce of disrespect but rather opted for a low toned voice that remained even paced as he tried to talk down these screeching women when they appeared which one truly had to credit the man forgiven his position as these women came in like revolving doors and one had to truly appreciate his even tempered calmness that he managed to possess. From what Marceline understood of her boss was that his own family wasn't _completely_ estranged from him but they had begun disapproving of his interests when he got his arms tattooed from wrist to shoulders from the time he managed to get a job and of course when he got his eye brow then his nose done he had continued on his college path to a business major just like he had planned all the time. This not-quite-estranged family of his seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when he began majoring in college for business, when he began working at a "normal working environment" and covering his arms up then going as far as to place those rubber see clear piercing in the slots where the jewelry normally glinted from.

He laughed frivolously about it but he said that his family was so horribly disappointed when he declared towards his final years of his education that he would be opening a tattoo shop the moment he was able too, if he could get the business loan he was hoping to get and of course he would be working on the side to put down payments on an empty shop in the city to accomplish this. He was a determined person when he needed too which worked better in his profession than one would expect but Oliver had explained to Marceline that this decision of his had put the final stake in his ties with his family leaving most of his uncles and aunts estranged from him not that he was minding it much seeing as he never was particularly close to cousins or those relatives much. She always wondered if he said he didn't mind because it hurt less to not think about the estrangement of his family or if it was because he truly didn't want to mind that he didn't have the family to back him up if he needed it but she didn't nit-pick at the talk of estranged families when it came to Oliver for there was nothing that she could say that wasn't an agreement that he had done what was best for him. It didn't matter if a family was estranged she believed if it made a person happy, made them money at the same time and it was the dream they'd always had then who were you to take that away from them? She never saw it as fair that Oliver's family estranged him when here he was, a rather successful twenty nine year old, running a business that was impressive for anyone his age and his family wanted to keep him away because of-what? The fact that he has sleeves? That he has pierced every inch of his ear and two places on his face? Because he had decided to create a place that he had an idea he loved and was dedicated towards? Was that such a crime? It was absolutely ridiculous! Why cut someone out of the family for doing what they loved? 

"You're thinking again." The words were colored warm with that right amount of amusement, a lilting trace that had his voice rising just a moment that left implications of that humorous air to them that promised laughter any moment now and she blinked as she looked up from tapping her fork against her styrofoam box to meet that amused gaze. She tucked her hair behind her ear letting her gaze slid away from Oliver down to her place where she stabbed into a large shell best she could then brought it up quickly, stuffing it into her mouth before she could get sauce on the table or on her dark shirt in the process of getting shell to mouth. The back room of the shop never felt like a break room but rather more like the small kitchen of a friend's apartment, the tiles a deep green that matched the medium green coating the walls yet the table was a small round surface with at least five places at it while a small series of counters with an oven tucked neatly between the corner counters and a sink being one countertop away from the pristine oven and the cabinet's where neatly pressed four to a row on the wall containing cups, bowls and plates inside for anyone wanting to heat up their lunch on an actual plate. The drawers of those counters all head nicknacks of some kind, one holding the utensils she was using now to poke at her pasta with and providing quite the distraction for her eyes to feast upon as she stared down at her container of shells as if it were specimen she had never eaten before in her life while Oliver rubbed his fingers together to remove the crumbs from his grind off when he plucked his napkin up to press against his lips. "Would there maybe be anything you'd want to talk about? Friend to friend?" 

Staring at the open, even mildly concerned look on Oliver's face she found her lips pinching together instinctively to keep from laying out just how insufferable it felt lately to drag herself out of bed. How she knew each time she opened her eyes that on her phone screen that a text, a phone call or a Snapchat from Ash either saying good morning or bringing up some issue from the day before by simply saying "we need to talk" leaving her to wander over and over where she had gone wrong or even how smothered she'd felt lately by being with the guy but she clenched her jaw now while letting her gaze drop back down to her pasta. "I'm just tired today, it's been a long one and I have to pick up dinner for myself and Ash." She rubbed her fingers against the napkin of her napkin gently then lifted it up to wipe at the corner of her lips before stabbing at another huge shell then forced her lips to turn up into an awkward little smile in response to the concerned look on Oliver that was growing more pronounced on his features ."I'm okay! Seriously, Oliver, if I wasn't fine or something in my personal life was severely wrong then I would be asking you for time off which you and I both know that I hate to ask for or to even pull through on. I promise I'm okay, I'm just tired and I just have some stuff on my mind." She shrugged lazily then scooped the giant shell upwards. "It's not a big deal! Don't look so worried!" 

"You know I'm not buying that but because I'm not going to sit hre and harass you to tell me just what els is going on so I'll just take it as is." He shrugged then, nudged his glasses up his nose then lifted his grinder up for a bite while Marceline struggled to keep sauce from dripping off the large shell she popped into her mouth as they both continued on eating quietly when he took a sip of his Coke looking at Marcelin again. "So, Pheebs ordered me to tell you that come Christmas Day that you are to bring Mortus and Schwabl here to the shop because she's throwing a little party for me, you, herself, Ally, Nick and Dave so there's no choice in you backing out. I would have told her no but you know how she is when she wants the message passed along so I'm a mere messenger bringing you in the loop." She smiled at just how awkwardly phrased the words were for she knew that Phoebe no doubt said it in that haughty tone that she often times used with any of them in the shop when they were even thinking of refusing something she wanted to do and if anything Marceline found it both endearing along with irritating of the red head to do so but this was Phoebe saying it. "Oh, you have some messages on the page by the way from a few prospecting people asking about piercings for you and since Nick is booked solid for the month it'll mean a little over time for you to pick up some extra appointments if you're good with that? Ally and Dave are considering taking extra jobs since this "is the season of giving" but they haven't given me a definite answer but as you can guess both Phoebe and Nick are willing for the extra time. It's up to you if you want too but I just ask that you see too those people messaging with the questions, set up appointments ectera when you absolutely can and besides even if you _don't_ get to it here at work you have the log-in info, right?" 

"Oh yeah, I got the info so I can always just hit them up at home if I don't get to it today seeing as my schedule is pretty tight here for the afternoon though." She then paused as she swiped hr garlic bread through the sauce revealing itself at the bottom of the styrofoam container then smiled at Oliver. "But I'll definitely think of donating some of my tim seeing as this "is the season of giving" so let me look at my schedule for the month and I'll get right back at you about this whole thing because I know and you know that Phoebe is Phoebe and she'll try getting me to take extra appointments with her so I can stay here longer because we all know how hard it is to hang out outside of work." They both rolled their eyes but the corners of Oliver's lips twitched into a smile that followed a chuckle from the man while Marceline took a bite of her garlic bread letting out a sigh through her nose as she set the bread down to rub the pads of her fingers against the napkin as sh chewed quickly then took a gulp of her own gulp of Coke. "So how's it going between you and Rose?" Oliver sipped his Coke again then let out a sigh that sounded quite content to Marceline as she raised her brows at the man curiously while her fingers locked themselves underneath her chin as she crossed her ankles under the table. "Oooh, going off that sigh I'd take you two are still in the honeymoon phase right?" 

Oliver smirked at her as he laughed in response to her observation skills no doubt then fussed with his own remaining half of his lunch before his smirk widened into such a painful looking smile that she couldn't stop her own smile from becoming painfully wide at the sight of Oliver's. He had a laugh, a smile, even a joy that was contagious to those around him and that was just from what Marceline herself had experienced so far with her employer who seemed absolutely delighted that someone was finally asking about his partner. "Rose is good! They absolutely _loved_ the engagement gift that you gave and they wanted me to tell you that they expect to see you over for dinner soon or else they said they'd march over to your apartment if you didn't have dinner with us soon. They'll actually be here by the end of your shift so if I were you I'd agree to have dinner with us lest the shop crash under the fury that is Rosemary Stonewall!" Rose was Oliver's partner, a beautiful person that held the same kindness within them that Oliver had inside himself and with a patience like that of a saint it seemed like Oliver and Rose truly were a match made by Heaven itself when one viewed the couple side by side or had even spent minutes with the both of them but what made it better was Marion was always "adopting" people as family whether they knew them for years or days they always considered those they were closest with to be family and it just so happened that over the months of Marceline working here that it was a matter of time for Marion to consider Marceline as a sister figure which she adored deeply. 

"Then I'll make sure to say yes to Rose then for I've heard of their fits and I don't think this shop would remain standing if I managed to somehow say no to their sweet offer so I think it'll be in my best mind to accept dinner! Is the wedding date set yet anyways? Or are you guys going to be one of those couples that just remained married for a few years before tying the knot? Not that I'm being rude or anything, I just see you guys doing that." Marceline grabbed the fork out of the container to flip into the sink sending a few droplets of sauce flying into the air like exclamation points of the impact of the fork slamming the metal side and she flipped the containers top over the remaining bites of her food when she took a quick look at her phone screen for the time. "I don't see why people always rush to get married after they're engaged, I mean no judgment from me for those that want too, but I just mean it seems like such a fast process sometimes that it makes my own head spin and I have no clue how people manage to do it so fast. I know if I ever get to that point with someone that I'm going to definitely enjoy being engaged for a year or so, just to have some fun saying "My fiance is going to beat the shit out of you" before we upgrade to that marriage title that we'll give one another even IF there's some power behind saying "my wife" or "my husband". I don't know, maybe that's just a me thing?" 

"No, no, I see what you're getting at and I completely get it so trust me when I say that I used to be the same exact way after my first fiancee broke the engagement off. He thought that we were going so fast, that marriage always cames months or weeks after the engagement that he was getting cold feet about the whole thing and when he brought up just how fast it seems to be for some people it had me thinking but while I wanted more than anything to marry this guy he eventually broke it off with his convictions that marriage just came too fast for someone as young as we were at the time. So believe me when I say that I can see what you're saying about marriage always coming so fast after a couple gets engaged, it's something that most people just what to do because they _do_ love each other enough to get married soon as they can but two people can also love each other and stay engaged for years." He paused then as he lifted his grinder up then smiled at Marceline when he then shrugged his shoulders with that touch of awkwardness that often signaled an oncoming shyness to his next words. Rose and I have been engaged for a handful of weeks now but you have to think that we've been dating for about five years which means we've been together for enough time that I know and they know just what it is that we're getting into when we think of the commitment to something a serious as marriage is but the thought of tying the knot with them sooner rather than later is such an addicting thought but I know I need to take my time before throwing out wedding dates." 

"Well, you can set a wedding date, Oliver, it can be set for two or three years from now so it's not too fast to be like "I want to be married in twenty twenty three, my darling Rosemary, on the longest day of summer somewhere on a scenic beach where the wind came play with your hair in that rom-com way! Does that make sense, my love?" or something of the sort!" She snickered at her own words while Oliver had to cover his quivering lips after he'd taken a bite of his grinder, his shoulders bouncing now with the sudden laughter that was getting the snickers flying out of her to evolve into laughter as she put her Coke down before it could begin sloshing and she couldn't stop the laughter when she noticed Oliver struggling around his mouthful that she had to choke out an apology to the man. He just hide his face behind his hands now as he laughed that closed mouth sound, muffled but so highly delightful that she wondered if he'd even begin to be able to swallow the bite he had but judging by the way his throat was trying to move had her holding her breath just so he could swallow without the risk of choking on the food. It took a moment of him struggling around the laughter but when he finally managed to choke it down he was laughing so hard he was snorting in between as he clapped his hands then leaned back in his chair, his head falling back as he gasped for air and Marceline was rendered into the same type of laughter, the a helpless reaction the absolute joy bubbling out of Oliver. "What? It's true! Don't sit there and say you _wouldn't_ say something like that to Rose! " 

"I just- You fucking-I-" He was gulping air as he struggled to say a single word that would connect together only to dissolve into loud chest bouncing laughter that had Marceline's cheeks aching from the wide smile pulling at the corners of her as she laughed with him and for her it was the kind of laughter that had been waiting to be let out for some time now, just bubbling then waiting for the opportunity to come out which she knew she'd thank Oliver for as soon as the laughing episode was over. After the insufferable morning she'd woken too she had to admit that there was something so relieving in finally being able to relax in the bubble that was her work place, even sitting here and laughing with her employer was one of the best things about her day and if she had it her way she'd want her life to have this slightly hysterical comforting sensation to it. Finally the last breath rushed out of Oliver as he giggled to himself before he wiped at his eyes which had welled with tears due to the intensity of his laughter yet he smiled widely at Marceline with a rueful edge to the way his lips quirked up and she giggled at the sight of the expression. "You are something the fuck else, Marceline Abadeer, and you have etiher the weirdest or worst sense of humor I've ever encountered in my twenty nine years of life." She raised her brows as she chuckled at the comment while Oliver sighed out rubbing his hands together then looking down at the remainder of his sandwich then looked at Marceline again with his own eyebrows raising at her. "You truly are a fucking gem, aren't you?" 

"Well, that's what my mom says when I go visit her so it has to be true somehow!" She shrugged a shoulder as she tapped the prongs of her fork against the top of her container, a yawn bubbling somewhere inside of her chest that she was struggling to keep down as she leaned her cheek against her hand while her gaze locked onto her own tapping fork. The light played off the back of the fork with flashes that had her staring down at the bobbing fork that she tapped gently onto the cover before lifting her gaze up to Oliver who had contented himself with taking another bite of his sandwich while she continued to tap her fork gently creating a light little background sound of the prongs stabbing lightly into the styrofoam with each lift of her fork's prong. "So, do you think that if Ally, Dave and myself all chose to take extra appointments does that mean the shop is going to be open longer? Or will these be kind of like walk-ins? Just so I can get a vague idea as to what I'd be signing myself up for if I decide later on to take this opportunity for the, as you put it, "season of giving". That way I'll know just what to expect and it'll allow me to plan out my schedule more evenly in preparation for walk-in's and give a time slots for walk in's that I can post to the page." Tap, tap, tap went the fork. She felt her phone vibrate against her side gently as if trying to catch her attention which had her groaning as she hung her head forward while her hand slammed up against her forehead painfully and yet it was the pain that shoved her irritation for the side, just for a second, while the pain throbbed through her forehead. "Dear fucking Lord." 

"What's up?" Oliver spoke around his mouthful yet he covered his mouth, his fingers pressed against his lips as his eyebrows pulled together creating tiny wrinkles over the bridge of his nose and his glasses slipped just an inch down his nose yet it was the concern in his eyes that ripped right through her chest forcing her to look down as she plopped the fork down on top of the container before her. As calm, patient and wickedly funny as Oliver could be it was well known by damn near everyone that this man always seemed to hold more concern for those around him whether it be a bird flying awkwardly in the sky or the problems of another person or even if Rose was somehow uncomfortable. He always got more concerned over another person, cared more for another person, than he ever did for himself and it blew Marceline away that a person could possibly care about someone that much. "Marce? Is something wrong?" What can she say to that? What could she say that didn't sound completely heartless? Oliver would be over the moon to get a text from Rose, Dave would be thrilled to get anything from Phoebe and here she was finding nothing but a simmering irritation to see the three texts sitting there on her home screen from Ash that all seemed to sit on difference frequencies of such bullshit that she wanted to scream in frustration until her chest deflated under the rush of air leaving her lungs. "Marceline?" 

"It's Ash. Texting me." She stared down at her phone wondering if she could even managed to text back without telling him to fuck off, to leave her _alone_ while she was at work but the words floating on the screen made that irritation flare bright and hot in her chest as her jaw clamped together tightly with the new text. Marceline always tried to keep in her mind that after nine years of being with someone that sure, there's going to be times where someone was pissed at the other and there was going to be friction between a couple once in a while but in moments like these where Ash was texting her asking what she was doing, when she was going to have time to call him, getting huffy with her when she failed to text or reply by the third or fourth text sometimes she just wanted to scream at him. It was difficult with this man to whom she dedicated so much time, so much hard work to get through the problems that had been mole hills turned to mountains by Ash and the years she had put into this relationship with someone she had been so sure would be worth it by this point in her life, someone she was so sure would be a person she could depend on to support her when she needed him to do so. Instead they're relationship balanced on a fine line, often bobbing towards the screaming angry half of their relationship they seemed to be nurturing between them and then there was the other side of that fine line where everything was so _good_ that Marceline could be genuinely happy with Ash yet no relationship was going to last like this. "Don't look so worried, Ol, I'm going to be fine he's just...Maybe it's just me today. I've been pretty short tempered with him since this morning so maybe I'm just getting pissed over the little things." 

"Well, you know sometimes there's always a bigger underlying problem when every little thing is pissing you off and I'm not trying to psychoanalyze you as you always put it but I'm going to say there's more going on with you than you want to let me know." He paused to allow the words to sink in yet the expression on Marceline's face, or perhaps it was in her eyes, had his cheeks flushing as he then scrambled awkwardly for a moment before he managed to get his words together, his fingers skittering on the table like he wanted to shove himself away and rush out of the room for his wording. "Oh, no! I didn't mean for it to sound like "you _have_ to tell me what's going on" or anything like that! Seriously, I just, I wasn't thinking and I wanted to kind of put it out there that I wanted you to know that you can talk to me about whatever it is that you wanted to talk about but I'm not forcing you to say anything! I apologize for how that sounded to you, Marce, just know I didn't mean it in an weird creepy employer way, I promise!" He pressed his hands together in a praying position yet his hands lightly shook up and down like he needed his words to sink in with a hopefully better meaning yet his eyes were dark like thunderheads moving in and the panic on his face was something that could either inspire the urge to coax him into a calmer state or could even inspire prickles of guilt. "Don't take it the wrong way, okay? Please? I'm really really sorry about how that sounded!" 

Marceline sighed out then plopped her fork down, stretching her hand out to grab the hands that seemed to tremble with how tight he pressed them against one another and she squeezed both of those hands with her own slim grip as a sigh squirmed past her lips before she could stop it. "Chill, Oliver, you're going to give yourself a heart attack or something if you keep it up like this." She then gave his hands one more squeeze before she tugged her hand away from his in favor of leaning back in her chair carefully as her fingers began picking at the nails on her left hand. "But when I'm ready to talk about it I'll tell you, alright? I just want to be able to work, be happy and then worry about everything that has to do with Ash later this afternoon when I have to go home and have dinner with him but just know that you'll be the first person I'll tell as soon as I work it all out, alright?" She hated letting things slip out like that, for the words to bubble past her lips before she could stop them and she hated how easily she would often times lose her train of thought when she was talking with another person after she had been swept up in her thoughts that by the time the words slipped past her lips she was just as surprised as the other person she was with. 

It was always a problem of hers, even when she was a small child and her mother had to reprimand her gently each time her thoughts slipped out before she could stop them but it was a habit that Marceline wasn't able to break yet unable to completely control it for her weak hold on keeping her thoughts inwards was something she could just barely keep in check. It had been worse in ehr teens, flying off the handle and throwing hands up to fight at the smallest sign it was going in that direction which often times was caused by her quick thoughts flying out of her before she stopped them which went horribly with her anger and even now as a twenty four year old woman she found herself biting her tongue more often than she would have liked. Ash was a harder topic, a harder person and an even harder hurdle for her to jump over while trying to bite back her thoughts on her true thoughts or even her true feelings to the relationship but she knew it was a horrible trait she had that was often times working against her no matter how hard she strained forward to do better with keeping herself in check the best she could. There was a call of her name from the front of the store, an appointment that was booked last minute and while she cherished her lunch time with Oliver, even Dave when he popped in, and Phoebe this time she couldn't help feeling a touch relieved that her focus could be shifted to an appointment which would be something she wanted to do. Something to do with her hands even so with a weak, awkward smile towards Oliver she shoved her chair backwards while scooping the rest of her lunch up only to dump it in the trash then washed the fork in the sink along with her hands which she scrubbed thoroughly before drying them off and with a deep breath she shoved these unwanted thoughts, unwanted words, deep down. She just needed to focus on the here and now, that's all she _could_ do until her shift ended. 


End file.
